Doctor arrested for $5.2M fraud linked to using medical ozone gas on patients
A pain doctor in Virginia has been indicted on 26 counts of healthcare fraud after he allegedly used unapproved medical ozone gas as a treatment for a number of patients, then billed government insurance programs for $5.2 million in reimbursement.
According to the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), Jawad Bhatti, MD, ordered the gas from Hong Kong and Germany and used it at his Richmond clinic, despite it not being approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The experimental treatments allegedly included the physician injecting gas during blood transfusions, using ultrasound to guide a needle.
However, while Bhatti billed health plans for the deployment of ultrasound, it was not actually used during procedures and was only implemented to check a patient after the fact, the DOJ added.
He also allegedly used hyperbaric chambers for patients to inhale the gas.
The procedures were conducted during 2019 at Healing Hands of Virginia, a clinic Bhatti owned, prosecutors said. He was subsequently charged with healthcare fraud, making false statements related to healthcare matters, receiving adulterated and misbranded devices and administering a misbranded drug.
All of the above was done while defrauding Medicare and Medicaid, the DOJ claimed.
FDA calls medical ozone a 'toxic gas'
Ozone gas therapy is considered by federal agencies to be a form of quackery. According to the FDA, ozone is a “toxic gas with no known useful medical application in specific, adjunctive or preventive therapy. In order for ozone to be effective as a germicide, it must be present in a concentration far greater than that which can be safely tolerated by man and animals.”
Further, use of the gas during a medical procedure can result in “undesirable physiological effects on the central nervous system, heart and vision,” in addition to irritating the lungs.
However, proponents tout its healing benefits, including the ability to eradicate cancer, despite limited scientific research on its efficacy.
According to a report from the Richmond Times-Dispatch, Bhatti received a disclaimer notice from the manufacturers of the gas tanks, advising against using it for medical purposes
“By purchasing the [Ozone device], I understand this is not a medical device, and I will not represent it as a medical device, nor state that by using the [Ozone device] treats or cures any disease, and the [Ozone device] is not a therapy,” the notice read.
According to the DOJ, the doctor would advertise use of ozone therapy on his website, touting it as a therapy to alleviate pain. He also allegedly wrote that it treats cancer, AIDS and arthritis. Additionally, Bhatti also supposedly said it helps with weight loss.
Regardless of the legality of the experimental treatments, prosecutors contend it’s illegal to bill such services to Medicaid and Medicare. Further, Bhatti is accused of misrepresenting the use of ozone treatments as “nerve blocks” and other forms of legitimate care, the DOJ said.
His indictment was part of a large $14.6 billion takedown of healthcare fraudsters by federal police, which resulted in 324 arrests, including 96 clinicians.
Bhatti has not entered a plea and remains innocent until proven guilty.
Chad is an award-winning writer and editor with over 15 years of experience working in media. He has a decade-long professional background in healthcare, working as a writer and in public relations.